This presentation will discuss how the concept of water tenure and the recommendations of the CFS can be put into action. For this it is critical to understand the linkages with the VGGT and ongoing work on water resources assessments, notably water accounting and auditing. Water and land go together and hence, tenure rights and governance of tenure over these resources are key to promoting food security and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. It’s time to talk about
water tenure!
FAO
6 October 2017 at 11 AM

2. Key issues, challenges and opportunities
1. 42nd session of CFS offers opportunity to scrutinize implications of
water management for the most vulnerable and draws focus on equal
access for all.
2. Typically, we speak about water rights, yet there are so many different
forms of water rights and beyond this, there are informal use
arrangements. How can we recognise these different formal and
informal use arrangements?
3. Not only are water resources complex and dynamic, changing in
state, time and space, but there are also many different tenure claims
along a water body (e.g. river).

3. Main lessons learned/recommendations
1. If we do not understand the complexity and intricacy, of water
tenure, there will be less incentive to invest, more inequalities,
less sustainability. Explore the concept further.
2. You cannot manage what you do not know. Assessing water
resources is crucial for a more inclusive, fair and equitable
decision-making around tenure. Integrate tenure in water
resources assessments.

4. Next steps – the way forward
Vision: Integrating water tenure in normative processes, but also in
out practical work
1. Consultation meeting on water tenure (Spring 2018)
2. Proof of concept during project implementation, integrating
water tenure assessments in water resources assessments
3. White Paper on Water Tenure